


How They Would Have Me

by LavellanTwins



Category: Dragon Age, Dragon Age Inquisition - Fandom
Genre: Ali's such a nerd, Cousland loves Ali so much, F/M, Fluff, Post-Blight, So do I, aw, candle lit dinner, fancy dresses and all that shiz, lots of fluff, sfw
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-11
Updated: 2016-08-11
Packaged: 2018-08-08 05:25:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,531
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7744951
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LavellanTwins/pseuds/LavellanTwins
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Two days before their wedding and coronation Alistair Theirin and Dianne Cousland have a romantic dinner planned, but Dianne is more than a little nervous.</p>
            </blockquote>





	How They Would Have Me

**Author's Note:**

> I'm just a massive sop for my little nerdy Alistair I love him so much. 
> 
> Check out our Instagram for updates and pictures to match the stories! @LavellanGirls

It was strange, she thought, the ease with which she became accustomed to this style of living again. Glancing at her reflection in the mirror, Dianne Cousland watched as her handmaiden decorated the tight curls of her hair. Living as nobility was something she thought she had left behind the night she lost her family and joined the Grey Wardens. Yet here she was, preparing for a private meal in the royal castle at Denerim. Alistair and herself had been given separate quarters until their wedding, as was traditional in Fereldan. It was funny, she was mused, how her 17 year old self had argued endlessly with her mother about how she would never marry, never put down her sword and shield in order to look after a man and children. But now her 19 year old self couldn't imagine ever wanting to leave her fiancé's side. Surviving a blight and being the last remaining Grey Wardens will do that to a couple she supposed. 

Although Arl Eamon had been insistent that the pair were not to see each other until the day of their wedding, Dianne had convinced him to allow this one date night two days prior to their wedding and coronation. 

"If it'll stop Alistair's whining I'd let the two run off to Val Royoux and spend a romantic trip there," the Arl had said sarcastically, rolling his eyes as he often did at the love struck couple. 

It was true that they had both been missing each other terribly since the archdemon was slain. Not being allowed to visit each other had been tough on both of them after months of sharing a tent. However, Dianne had not only wanted this night to see Alistair again but also for him to see her. When they met she was all but stripped of her nobility and title, merely a new recruit that Ali was to show around. Throughout the Blight she had always been practical, never caring much for her appearance and Ali seemed to love her for it. But times were different now, she was the noble born Lady Dianne Cousland of Highever and she looked it. Her hair fell in tight curls around her painted face, with gems and jewels adorning the dark twists. The dress she wore had a tight bodice with lace straps across her pale skin, it pooled out into a cascade of black fabric skirts. She looked every bit the noble woman she was born and raised to be and she liked it, the way she looked when someone else was designing her. 

Despite her comfort in her appearance (it was, after all, how she was supposed to look having been born into Fereldan nobility), she was more nervous than she had ever been. She was accustomed to being dressed in expensive finery, but Alistair certainly wasn't and to be truthful she was afraid of how he would react to seeing her dressed in an almost vulgar display of wealth. She took a deep breath, looked one final time in the mirror as her handmaiden placed a beautifully ornate necklace across her chest, then proceeded to make her way out to the dining hall. She had spent countless nights alone with Ali and it was her favourite way to pass the time, yet with each loud step her heel made Dianne's nerves heightened until she pushed the large door open to the dining area, certain that she would faint from the fear of the possibility that he would not accept her the way she was born to be. 

•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•

Alistair tugged at the sleeves to his formal uniform. He couldn't understand for the life of him why they insisted he wear such ridiculous clothes, King or no. He'd been excited for tonight, if he was being honest excited didn't cover how he felt about it. It may have only been a few days since the battle when he had last seen Dianne but he missed her terribly and he was not afraid to complain about it until he got to see her again. But standing in the grand dining hall waiting for her arrival felt strange to him. The black shirt graced with war medals and a blue sash seemed extravagant for a simple meal with his fiancé. The candle lit hall certainly looked romantic but he knew Dianne would be just as happy if they were sat next to the campfire eating some of Wynne's famous Fereldan stew. 

Again he tugged at the rich dark material of his shirt as he waited impatiently like a child on the eve of their name day. The huge door to the dining hall began to creek open and Alistair leapt to his feet as quickly as his heart leapt to his throat. Giddy nerves bubbled beneath ever inch of skin on his body, waiting only a few more precious seconds to see her. The sound of her heals echoed off walls of the large hall as she stepped into the room, gently closing the door behind her as she stood before him. 

Maker. He always knew she was beautiful, she could be covered in the blood of a thousand darkspawn and he'd think she was the most beautiful creation in all of Thedas but this, this was something else entirely. Her dark hair flowed down her back and over her shoulders in an infinity of curls and jewels. Her dress clung to her body to show every perfect curve from her chest to her hips, even her neck looked like it had been personally designed by the Maker himself to look perfect as it was adorned by a beautiful diamond necklace. The sight of her in this new way took his breath away and for a moment he was almost worried that he may faint at the sight of her in a wedding dress two days from now. 

He was staring and he knew it and he didn't care. She was here, with him, not fighting for their lives or for the future of Fereldan but standing in a gorgeous dress waiting for him to say something. But he couldn't, he couldn't say anything for no words could express how beautiful she was to him, no action could show her how much she meant to him. She shifted her weight from foot to foot, beginning to look more nervous and uncomfortable under Alistair's gaze. 

"My King," she stated, nodding her head in a small bow as her lips twitched into a nervous yet playful smile as she said his soon to be title. 

Alistair laughed and shook his head, "not yet I'm not." 

She grinned when she heard him laugh, relaxing somewhat but still standing just a few feet away from the door and far too far away from him. He took the necessary steps to be stood just an arms length away from her as she smiled almost sadly at him. They stood in silence for a moment, his eyes never leaving her breathtaking form. 

By Andraste, he was the luckiest man in Thedas.

After a few seconds passed, Dianne coughed politely and looked down at herself.   
"Well, this is me... How they would have me, anyway. I know it's a bit extravagant but this is what I was before the blight. No armour, no weapons, just... A fancy dress and too much makeup," she laughed nervously and looked up at him through her this lashes, "so, it's me. How my parents would have me and how the nobility would have me and, I'm hoping, how you will have me." 

The nervous look her spotted in her eyes suddenly made sense to him. She thought he wouldn't approve of her now that she wasn't dressed as the brave warrior that she was. She thought she wasn't what he wanted and her words tugged at his heart. 

"Maker's breath Dianne, you are beautiful. I would have you even if you were to tell me you were secretly a darkspawn in disguise," she laughed at that. The laugh she always gives him when he's cheered her up. The laugh that sends electricity through his veins like he'd been struck by lightning. "You are the most important thing in my life, I would love you until the sun turns cold, and at the moment you are by far the most stunning vision of a women I have ever seen... N-not that you aren't always stunning, of course, because you are, no matter what, you're always gorgeous."

Alistair stuttered and shook his head with a small laugh. All this time and she could still make him sound like the nervous chantry boy he was when they first met. He took her hand and pulled her closer to him. Lifting his other to push a stray hair back into place from in front of her face, he locked their fingers together as she tilted her head into the hand resting lightly on her cheek. He leaned in and rested their foreheads together. 

"I love you, Ali," she whispered as she closer her eyes revealing in the moment. 

"And I, you. Forever." He replied, more sure of himself than ever.


End file.
